Juvenile convicted of second-degree murder

A juvenile defendant was found guilty of second-degree murder Dec. 1 in 18th Judicial District Court in West Baton Rouge Parish, District Attorney Tony Clayton announced.

Judge Tonya Lurry issued the guilty verdict. The incident stemmed from a shooting that occurred in Port Allen in which the juvenile defendant opened fire in an apartment complex targeting a 16-year-old victim.

Assistant District Attorneys Lonny Guidroz, Ashley Woods, and Larry Bossier successfully prosecuted the case, resulting in the juvenile defendant being sentenced to juvenile life and immediately remanded into the custody of the Louisiana State Office of Juvenile Justice.

“It’s a sad day when a 14-year-old kid has to serve juvenile life in prison, and equally sad that a juvenile took the life of another child,” Clayton said. “We will fully prosecute crimes to the fullest extent of the law, no matter the age of the perpetrator. This is my message to young folks: Put the guns down. It is a no-way-out situation, and you will spend a substantial part of your life in prison if you commit crimes.”